Iain Banks/M.Banks Crap/Not Crap

[foo]

i don't really get on with his books. i can see he's a good writer and all that but he doesn't move me.

lol.

i've lost the plot.

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Of those I've read

Complicity - Superb
Song of Stone - Much underrated. I really liked this one.
Walking On Glass - v.good
The Bridge - poss my favourite
The Crow Road - quite dull, never got the appeal of this
Whit - shit

Scifi -

Consider Phlebas - excellent
Feersum Endjinn - pretty good

I can't remember the others I've read as it was ages ago, but I actually prefer his normal stuff (other than Consider Phlebas)

 

[ICB]

Love all the sci-fi, can't be bothered with the others.

Have just re-read Phlebas, Excession, Inversions, Windward, Player and Weapons as I've been on the sick for a couple of weeks. I love them all, although Phlebas and Windward probably have the greatest depth, with the former just edging the latter. I go as far as saying Phlebas is a truly great work of fiction.

This time around I got even more out of them and noted that there's an interesting progression of ideas in that there's stuff about games (Damage) and people as weapons (Horza) in Phlebas then more stuff about people as weapons (Gurgeh) in Player, etc., etc. so you can sort of map his thought processes from one to the next.

I occasionally amuse myself by trying to count the number of inversions in Inversions, there are lots.

A new Culture novel is scheduled for next year BTW.

 

[Crispy]

A new Culture novel is scheduled for next year BTW.

*Glands Joy*

 

[TheHoodedClaw]

A new Culture novel is scheduled for next year BTW.

*Anticipates a new lover's arrival*

Any details?

 

[ICB]

For "scheduled" read "expected", just going on his wikipedia entry, which I appreciate is dangerous, particularly the section it's in doesn't reference its sources.

Other snippets...

In late 2004 Banks was a prominent member of a group of British politicians and media figures who campaigned to have Prime Minister Tony Blair impeached following the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In protest he cut up his passport and posted it to 10 Downing Street....

Banks is an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society (see Quotations) and a Distinguished Supporter of the Humanist Society of Scotland....

What a dude.

 

[Crispy]

*Anticipates a new lover's arrival*

Any details?

it has a number of possibly titles: Matter, The Expeditionary, and The Integrity of Objects. I thought the latter seemed to be his favourite, but the latest Little Brown listing has it listed as Matter with a publication date of 7th February 2008

I heard the opening prologue to this new Culture story involves a knife missle annihiliating a whole primitive army

http://213.253.134.7/banks/forum2/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1910&whichpage=1

 

[Crispy]

It's listed as Matter on Amazon as well, for feb 08

 

[TheHoodedClaw]

http://213.253.134.7/banks/forum2/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1910&whichpage=1

Oooh, ta much.

 

[tommers]

http://213.253.134.7/banks/forum2/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1910&whichpage=1

 

[Santino]

I still think Use of Weapons pisses over all the other Culture books. I was absolutely gripped by the last few chapters.

 

[Gmart]

Player of Games!! Excellent!

 

[quimcunx]

Mostly very good. couple of misses though. I haven't read the sci-fi.

 

[Calva dosser]

Banks is like medicines. Each to their own. I think the only way someone would dislike Complicity though, is if they were a Judge who thought women 'asked for it'

I loved that bit.

 

[Biffo]

Failed to pass p30 of Wilt on 3 separate occasions. Enjoyed Wasp Factory but I was only about 20.